What Happens After the Storm
by Euregatto
Summary: The day after a storm a new mutant drops into the institute. She seems to have Gambit's attention, and that's making it very difficult for Rogue to resist throwing something -hard- at her head. /1 yr after season 4, Romy\
1. After the Storm

_Rogue's P.O.V_

"Beans, beans, are good for your heart. The more you eat the more you fart~!"

I tried my best to block out the annoying sound of the duplicated brat sitting across the table from me and raised a dripping spoonful of cornflakes to my lips, which where pressed into a thin _bored_ line.

"Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot!" _Beans aren't a fruit, and that's REALLY starting to get annoying!_

"Beans, beans, they give you gas; go in your mouth and out your-"

"Shut up, Jamie!" Half the table and I hissed menacingly on cue. Summer break totally sucked, especially since there wasn't much to do-that was to my liking, at least. I wasn't fond of anything other than wall ball with Scott every now and then, and maybe a round of table tennis with Kurt or Sam... and Gambit wasn't around as often, either, so there went a session of Go Fish. The only slightly more interesting day at the Institute so far was yesterday, when the new girl showed up. To think, the one day Gambit's actually around she has to hog up all his time.

_Speaking of that girl, here she comes now_. I studied her as she poured herself a glass of milk and sat down in the only empty seat to my left side (seeing as Kurt had my right and Multiple had the only other three extra seats taken).

This girl's name is Raison Maddock, but some people call her Rai or "Cimmerian" because of her mutant ability to transform into either a monster bat with a muscular structure that put Beast to shame, or a small one with only a three-foot wingspan. The transformation takes only a split second and the returning result is enough to give Bobby nightmares. She was about a month older than Jean, but admittedly she had a very motherly attitude about her; she had a frequent tendency to give everyone cutesy names. She called me "Baby" on a normal occasion-and she had only been here A DAY.

Why did Jamie feel the need to take up four chairs in stead of one? Maybe then she wouldn't have to sit next to me. "Good morning, everyone," Raison chimed and sipped her drink, "You too, Baby."

I had given up in less than A DAY to correct Raison to refer to me as "Rogue" and not freaking "Baby". I glanced wearily at the window and dreaded the annoyance of the condensed liquid slamming against the window panes and sliding down in pathetic rivulets. Lightning flashed briefly and practically blinded me, but I blinked the light away from my vision a few times. "Yeah, it's such a great day already." The gray clouds were dark and gloomy, just as they always were in this kind of weather. "Ugh, can Storm do something about the... storm?"

"You'd think she would," Kurt muttered.

"Oh?" Raison mused when an all too familiar mutant strode into the kitchen, "Good morning, Love." I winced and considered stabbing her with the spoon in my gloved hand. "I see you have a lot of morning pep."

I noticed the heavy bags under Gambit's dulling red and black eyes and I wedged another spoonful of cornflakes past my clenched teeth. That was another thing that pissed me off about Raison's stupid nicknames-she called Gambit _Love. _Sure, apparently they've known each other since they were kids and apparently they were separated and what gave her the right to call him _Love? _It's not like they were dating or anything! Or was this some kind of trick to make me jealous? If it was, it was working.

Wait, was I_ seriously_** jealous**? About what?

"Pfft," Gambit rummaged through the fridge, "I'm not like Havoc over there. Now he _defines_ mornin' pep." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to Alex who had fallen asleep face-down in his cereal. Gambit finally shut the fridge door and revealed to have found the orange juice that was gradually pushed into the darkest corner of one of the overloaded shelves. He checked the expiration date on the bottle, and after deciding it was safe aside from **probably **being poisoned or drugged, he poured himself a cup and recapped it.

I was finally fed up with Raison's presence at this point and got up abruptly; I practically stomped over to the counter and dropped my bowl in the sink.

"Bonjour, Cherie-"

"Can it, Gambit," I snarled bitterly and switched on the faucet. I was starting to get pissed off with all the nicknames lately. Rogue I could live with, seeing as I hated my real name, but Baby and Cherie and even _girly _and _mutant _by any asshole walking down the street who knew I was "unique" were nicknames that had originally gone unnoticed until Raison showed up. I was as frustrated with life as ever.

I sensed Gambit shrugging to someone, most likely Raison, but I ignored him and scrubbed my anger out on the bowl and spoon before drying them with a cloth and abandoning them in the cabinets overhead.

"So, it's my turn to cook tonight," Scott announced, "What does everyone think about pasta?" Groans of complaint. The problem was, when Scott cooked shit _burned. _It was a wonder why Professor Xavier let him cook to begin with, but I figured it was a good excuse to buy the students pizza without looking like a total push-over, "What do you guys want for take-out?" Scott instantly received random outbursts of likes and dislikes. Even he had learned by now that he was not compatible with the stove unless he planned on burning down the institute.

"I vote for pizza and hot wings," I declared, "but that's just me." I silently stalked out of the kitchen to find Storm to see if she could do something about the rain.

* * *

**_~ * WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE STORM * ~_**

_

* * *

_

_The day before, early morning..._

The air was heavy with the aftermath of the previous night's downpour. It was supposed to rain all week, which was a downer because almost all of the activities in the institute required the outdoors and open fresh air. At least the rain wouldn't start up again until late into the afternoon.

"New girl?"

"Yeah, she's about Jean's age, apparently."

"Dang, so that means we're getting a new teacher then?"

"If we are, I hope she isn't as strict as Wolverine's morning training sessions," Cannonball bit into his apple and stared at Wolfsbane across the table, "I really hope she's nice, and maybe I push-over so she won't punish us as strictly."

I had my nose stuck half-way through Rahne's copy of _Blood Bound _but I couldn't help but overhear their conversation and add in my own comments, "With all the chaos you guys cause, strict is an understatement for the punishment you need." I flicked my eyes over the top of the book, "Or am I wrong?"

"It's not like we burn entire cities to the ground," Sam shot back defensively and nibbled away at his snack.

It's a morning like this, when the dawn's light is kissing the horizon and teasing an assortment of colors into the landscape and tingeing the leaves with vibrant radiance, that you _know_ something is going to happen... and not in the good way. With me, I always think that bad occurrence might have something to do with my powers. The way my abilities worked was like looking through a box that held someone's entire _life_. I would unintentionally dig through this box, pushing and picking out the thoughts and memories that I would play with until I was bored of them, and if I was given enough time my nails would scrape against the bottom before I realized the true potential of the gifts in this box, such as a mutation. I would play with what I've gotten, and once I was bored I would return it. If I wasn't careful, I might like what I've borrowed too much to let go. So now that box wasn't as full, and I could move on to a different box that was filled with someone else's life... someone else's toys.

In basic terms, a total piss off because I couldn't control myself, and some people would come along who would decide they wanted to play with _my _toys, those stolen thoughts and powers, but I was selfish. I wouldn't let them near my toys _cough _Mystique_ cough._

Sometimes the mere thought of it made me sound crazy; that was the last thing I needed.

"Will the X-Men please report to my office," Professor Xavier's voice rang out over the intercom, "I want everyone to meet our new family member."

Family member, because that was what the institute was: one big messed up family. There wasn't much too it.

Curiosity always got the better of me as it did a lot of other people, and Sam, Rahne, and I headed down to Prof. X's office to meet this new comer. Talk about a sight for sore-eyes: Brown hair, startling green eyes and light skin. I had stayed in the back of the crowd, in the _way _back, so I didn't have to bother even _looking _at her. No, I didn't have a problem with her appearance. That actually had nothing to do with it. When I had walked in she and Gambit were **hugging**. She didn't hug anyone else, just him.

It hurt just to_ look, _especially since he hugged her back. "Remy LeBeau," She said breathlessly, "It's been forever!" Blah blah blah "I heard about this institute for mutants. I figured since it was getting dangerous to be a mutant out in the real world it would be nice to try and fit in for once."

"You're safe here," Professor X reassured her. He clearly wasn't taking into account the number of times we've gone into Defcon 4 in one year and how Defcon 1 was rigged to either be a wave of nukes or Scott's cooking. "Welcome aboard," blah blah blah rant rant rant boring lecture blah "Storm will see you to your room."

Of course, this was how everything started. I bumped into her (literally) in the hall later into the day and she decided to make conversation with me.

"Oh, excuse me, Baby," She bowed slightly, "I'm 'Cimmerian', or Raison Maddock. Who might you be?"

"Rogue," I replied briskly. _Move outta my way!_

"Oh, you're Rogue!" Raison's excitement peaked and freaked me out, "Gambit told me about you... Actually, he wouldn't shut up about you. From what he's told me, you're quite an amazing girl."

Whoop-die-freaking-doo. "I'm gonna go," I bluffed, hoping to delude her so I could get away from her ASANOW, "I have somewhere I need to be." I wasn't one for lying, but I REALLY didn't like this chick.

She only smiled ever broader, "Of course, let me not slow you down! Have a nice evening, Baby," and she walked off.

"It's Rogue," I muttered and shuffled down the hall towards my room. Thunder rumbled outside and I paused briefly to glance out the window, "Storm!" I called and jogged down the passage towards her room, "Storm! Can you do something about the weather?"

* * *

_Present..._

The thing is, when it rains it **pours**, and even a tornado hitting the school couldn't keep Scott from at least attempting to make dinner. Even though he asked us if we wanted take-out and Jean insisted three times every hour that he should avoid making contact with the oven, boys will be boys and Cyclops will (try to) be Chef Cyclops... so in the end, not only did he actually go within ten feet of the oven, we now need a new one. We also need a few of the students to work on fixing the holes that was blown open through the floors above it... and even through the top of the building.

We ended up eating our take-out, which did turn out to be pizza and hot-wings, while watching Scott explain what had happened to Hank and the Professor.

I kept my eyes on Raison and Remy poking fun at each other until I felt like either throwing my chair at them or puking. Watch out, Raison, 'cause there's a storm coming your way.

* * *

**End of chapter 1. tell me what you think ^_^ this won't be a long fic, just a quicky because i'm only trying out the pairing of Romy (Rogue/Remy).**


	2. There's a Storm Coming This Way

Important author's note: Gambit is going to have a few problems with his Death Persona even though he didn't have a problem with it in X-Men: Evolution. I found it interesting, so if Gambit is ever like "Sorry, Remy's not home right now" then you know why XD i might bring Lockheed into this because he's so freaking adorable! x3

_I also forgot to mention, but I put it in the info, this story is taking place one year after season 4. Just before Jean goes Phoenix on the X-men's asses..._

_Would you believe I've had this chapter finished for two months but forgot about it? o.o Uhm... don't kill me please..._

* * *

_Gambit's P.O.V_

I awoke this morning when an explosion from the kitchen set off the fire alarm. "It's been a week, Scott!" I heard Jean shout as she stomped past my room, "What part of 'stay away from anything you can cook with' do you _not_ get?**!**"

My room is between Rogue's and Cimmerian's, but that was a good thing because both girls were usually quiet. So loud mornings such as this one were uncommon, but were frequent if compared to the course of this year.

Speaking of Rogue... She's been weird lately. For the past few days, despite spending a lot of my time away from the institute, I've noticed she's been... well, _weird_. In a more described manner, just not... Rogue. Plus, she's had an attitude with me lately. I would say "good morning", she would say "can it"; I would say "Cherie", she would say "Get a social life"; I would say "What's wrong?", she would say "Look in a mirror".

Alright, I'm drawing a line here. Seriously, what _did_ I do?

Jean's voice faded down the hall and I got up and stretched my arms to pull out my stiffened muscles. It was strange, because there was a photo frame that cradled a picture of Rogue and me painting the walls of a newly renovated room, and I think Spyke was the one who snapped the scene with the camera he had received from Storm for his birthday. I'm also pretty sure he can't control the number of spikes that launch from his body when he sneezes...

...but that's beside the point!

I had confronted Logan on the Rogue issue yesterday, but that wasn't the smartest thing I've done in my life. The answer he gave me was, "I dunno, Gumbo, try PMS? Or maybe she just doesn't like you. I sure as hell don't so go bother someone else about it."

"Some friend you are," I remarked.

"You're the one she's pissed at," He dead-panned right back, "but I'll talk to her. If not I'll convince Kurt on getting the inside scoop."

"Alright, thanks Wolfie," I gave a sarcastic salute and strode off down the hall.

"By the way, Gumbo," Wolverine called after me, "It's your turn to do the shopping!"

"Fun," I muttered but pretended like I didn't hear him. The rain had stopped that, but it would probably start up again by the time I returned from the store. It was actually rather difficult to keep people from finding out that I was mutant, and with eyes like mine it was almost impossible. So, I pulled a Cyclops—SUNGLASSES. To be candid, I always did wonder why Rogue complained about the rain and why Storm never did anything about it. The last time I asked Ororo about this she said nature had to take its own course every once in a while. That still didn't explain why Rogue hated the weather.

I was heading down to Professor Xavier's office so I could get the grocery list (dreading each step along the way) when I bumped into good ol' Raison. She gasped, "Remy my love!" and threw her arms around my neck. "Where are you off to?"

"Shopping," I groaned, "Wanna come with?"

"Can't, I have a training course today with the students, but I'll see you around!" She pressed a soft kiss on my cheek and started off. To be frankly honest, that didn't strike me as weird or unusual. We were close, after all.

Still, I had received the list, gone shopping, and then come back to the institute before dinner. Thing was, Rogue hadn't shown up to eat. So, when I went to knock on her door, I ran into Mr. Ray of Sunshine and almost had my head become a shish-ka-bob on his claws, "Nice going asshole!" Logan had snapped and shoved me against the wall, "I hope you're proud of yourself!"

"What'd I do?" I retorted. Seriously, what the hell did I do?_!_

Instead he just stormed off and grumbled something under his breath. Still, I hadn't seen Rogue and the door to her room was locked. Today, I was hoping to at least find out what's been going on. I wondered if it had anything to do with my constant mood swings...

"You're such a freak!" Kitty's voice from the main corridor nearby, but it's followed by a laugh.

"I'm serious!" Lance's tone is carefree and unwavering, but now he's laughing too. Avalanche had been over frequently to visit Kitty every now and again, and he was my only connection to the Brotherhood (not that I _wanted _a connection to them or anything), and he disliked me just as much as the other members. At least I _knew_ why they didn't like me.

"Shadowcat!" I exclaimed to get their attention and made my way down the steps and towards them, "I need t' talk to you about somethin'."

She instantly folded her arms and looked away stubbornly, "Oh, great, it's Gambit. What do you want?"

I quirked an eyebrow, "Lemme guess, you're mad at me because of what I did to Rogue?"

"Yup," Kitty grabbed Lance's arm, "C'mon Lance, let's go somewhere less crowded."

Was that supposed to be a joke about my ego? Wait, did I have an ego? I wouldn't think so… "Wait, Kitty, that's what I need to ask you. I have absolutely no idea what I did that made Rogue so upset, but I figure it has somethin' to do with why Wolfie almost cut my head off."

"If you're so sure of yourself," Kitty started dragging Lance off, "Ask her yourself!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damn, maybe this did have something to do with the pathetic existence of an ego I possibly did have? No, that didn't make sense… at all. Come to think of it, maybe Storm knew what was going on, and she was the only one willing to listen to something I had to say (we all know by now Wolverine was as stubborn as a sixteen-year-old teenager… or in this case Kitty Pryde. Hate to see what happens when she turns eighteen).

I headed down to Professor Xavier's office in hopes that he or at least Storm would be there. I silently pushed open the door and the room was empty, "Of course…"

"Oh, hello Gambit." There really is a God! "Can I help you with something?"

"Bonjour, Professor," I bowed slightly and held the door open so he could pass into the office. "_I was looking for Storm but you'll have to do." _"I wanted to talk to you about something important."

"Does this have anything to do with Rogue?"

"Actually, yes."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you do to her?"

"I dunno! That's why I'm here—maybe you know what happened?" I silently shut the door and sat down on the chocolate-brown leather loveseat while the Professor prodded at the papers scattered around on his desk. He waited a moment to gather some into a pile before staring at me grimly. His eyebrows knitted together, almost like he was unsure whether or not to tell me the truth and he was straining to keep himself teetering on the fault line of the two. It might have been neither when the tension in the atmosphere weighed down like the weight of the world.

Finally, he replied. "I'm afraid I don't know either…" I fell forward on the floor. "…but I do know that she was crying."

Crying? I sat back up and quirked an expression at him, "That explains why Kitty and Logan wanna parade around my head impaled on a pole."

"And you don't know what you did that made her cry?"

"Nope, haven't got a clue. I mean, I wanna ask her what I did wrong and apologize, but I dunno where she is," I threw my arms over the back of the loveseat and let my head fall limp; "Do you know where she might be?"

There was another extensive silence. "No I don't."

"Well then find her!" I snapped before I could stop myself, "I can't keep puttin' up with this non-sense when I dun even know what's goin' on!"

Professor Xavier shook his head, "Did you ever think it might have something to do with your constant mood swings ever since you developed that Death Persona?"

I bit back my tongue for a moment, "I… I think you might be right… but I've never yelled at Rogue, and I never would! Even Death isn't that malicious!" _I love her too much to do something like that. _"Is he…? I mean, I dun remember ever loosin' control over the course of this week…"

Professor X sighed, "I never brought Death into this, but the mood swings might be playing a big part in this." I tapped my chin and thought for a moment, but drew a blank. "Let's start from the beginning, Gambit, when did you first notice that Rogue was agitated with you?"

I shrugged, "Right after Raison joined us."

"Have you and Raison ever done something together, anything that would make Rogue jealous or upset?"

"Not that I know of," I frowned slightly, "I mean Raison and I… We go _way_ back."

"Care to explain that story to me?"

"Sure. See, we're…"

* * *

_Rogue's P.O.V_

"He's a jerk, Kitty! I just wanna crush his puny head in with my fists!" I buried my face in her pillow and cried until the feathers were choking out my sobs. I had broken down like this yesterday, but now I found myself back here again. Kitty stroked my back soothingly and she adjusted her position so her stuffed dragon was on her lap like a dog. "I mean, what does she have that I don't?"

"It's alright Rogue," Kitty chirped, "Men like that don't like deserve you!"

"I guess but..." I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve, "I just don't get it!"

Kitty sighed and pat my back again, "It's alright. Tell me what happened and maybe I can like help you a bit."

"I was just mindin' my own business and walkin' down the hall and when I was about to turn the corner I saw Cimmerian and Gambit!" I rolled over and sat up so I could breathe normally, "And Gambit had kissed her on the cheek! I mean, that must mean there's somethin' goin' on between them if he's gonna do somethin' like that!" I hadn't told her (or Logan when he heard me crying from down the hall) why I was crying over Gambit, but now Wolverine was out to have his head.

"Woah, like hold up much!" Kitty cracked her knuckles, "Where is he, I'll handle this!... Like, if Logan hasn't already!"

"No, no, it's fine," I sniffled and felt pathetic to be crying over someone like Gambit, he was crazy anyway and I knew he would blow up a train if he really had to (as I almost learned the hard way last time). He was _way _too high maintenance. …Was he?

"Look, Rogue, if there was really like something going on between them don't you think they like would've been a bit more obvious? I mean like don't you think the kiss would've been somewhere else like not on the cheek, if you like get what I mean?"

I touched my lips and realized that I would've killed to be Cimmerian, or just someone who didn't have to worry about hurting anyone from skin-to-skin contact. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what I did to deserve such a curse. "Yeah, I get you're drift…" I swung my legs off the edge of the bed and stood, "I should find Gambit and settle this."

Kitty went to protest, but she decided against it and kept quiet as I thanked her and strode out the door. Maybe Professor Xavier could help me find the infamous Remy LeBeau? As I was about to knock on the office door I noticed the voices wavering from inside and I pressed my ear against the smooth surface of the oak. It was difficult to pick up the phrases word by word, but I assumed from what I heard it was… well, something I didn't want to be listening to.

Gambit: "So, that's … between Raison and me… We're… I'd do anythin' for her."

Professor X: "I'm assuming… feelings…?"

Gambit: "Yeah… She's all I…"

I had stopped breathing for a moment after "We're". I felt my heart drop into the deepest part of my stomach where the acid ate away at the organ, but that only made the pain hurt worse. Without a second thought I burst into the room.

Gambit and Prof. X instantly glanced up at me but Gambit had reacted first and jumped up, "R-Rogue!"

"Save it!" I swear, if I hadn't been balling my pathetic eyes out in Kitty's room I would've been crying right there and then, "I can't take this any longer, Gambit! I don't know what the hell is goin' on between you and Cimmerian, but from now on I want you to just keep your distance and don't even _dare_ to look at me! So stop 'lookin' out for me' 'cause I can handle myself!"

"Rogue, wait calm down," Professor Xavier approached me from around his desk, "You're taking this the wrong way."

"What the hell can be taken the wrong way? Just stay away from me!" I sprinted out the room and Gambit called out to me, but his tone faded and was drowned out with my sobs. I ran directly into Logan as he was strolling in the opposite direction. I hadn't meant to run into him like a whining child, but everything was happening all too quickly so I just threw my arms around his waist and wailed into his chest.

* * *

_Gambit's P.O.V_

"Uh…" I scratched the back of my head and gave myself a mental kick in the ass, "That went well."

From down the hall, Wolverine's voice roared, **_"GUMBO!"_**

**_

* * *

_**

_Cimmerian's P.O.V_

The scream was loud enough to startle everyone in the institute and then some. "That's not random," I muttered to myself, but I recognized the voice as Logan and I knew he was the only one who called Remy "Gumbo". If Wolverine ever used "Gumbo" in a sentence while yelling at the top of his lungs like a wild animal, then you knew something was going down. It didn't take more than a day to figure _that_ much out about this place.

That and the obvious fact that Scott was a horrible chef.

Shouting and the piercing sound of metal shredding apart plaster and splintering wood. I poked my head out of my bedroom door and noticed the clashing was coming from the next hall. I cautiously receded in the event a raging Wolverine would come out of nowhere, and that was one cross-fire I wasn't about to get caught in. When the smashing and scraping seemed to fade faintly, I snuck towards Rogue's room.

Apparently Gambit was in trouble for hurting her feelings, so I was going to see why. "Baby, are you here?" I knocked on the door, but my only response was soft sobs from inside. I quietly opened the door, "Baby?"

"What?" She hissed. She was perched on the edge of her bed, her legs tucked against her chest and her arms locked around them with her tear-streaked face buried in her knees. "Go away, Maddock! I'm not in the mood!"

I moved and sat down beside her, "Hey, Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothin'! Just go away!" Her voice was muffled by her arms and thighs.

"You can talk to me about it, Baby," I didn't make an attempt to comfort her, though, "What's the problem?"

"You're the problem, Cimmerian." I sensed in her tone that she hadn't meant to be mean, but only that she was being honest no matter how much it hurt. "Go away already!"

I studied her for a moment but reluctantly got up and started out the door. "Feel better, Baby."

* * *

_I swear I'll get the next chapter up soon! XD this may be a bit corny, but I'm just experimenting with the RoguexGambit pairing. :3 Reveiw! Byez!_


	3. Calm of the Storm

_i put Lockheed in here. Couldn't resist XD ok, next chapter might be up next month hopefully and it'll be eventful :D_

_

* * *

_

_Rogue's P.O.V_

I sat and sipped my flat soda, studying Scott as he was pushed away from the newly purchased stove by Jean. Wolverine had scheduled for us to have an outdoor training session but once again it was raining, so we had to push that off until next week. I figured it was nature getting back at Ororo for every time she prevented a storm.

"I just want-"

"I don't care, Scott! You are NOT cooking any more! You're _not_ allowed within a twenty foot radius of the stove! Am I clear?"

Cyclops sighed, "Crystal."

"Really? 'Cause the last time I banned you from the stove you still touched it and you still caused over a thousand dollars worth of damage!"

Cimmerian was strolling by, but then she stopped to pop in for a conversation, "Oh, Baby!" (Of all people) with me. "Gambit was looking for you." About him. "He's in the Library if you feel like talking." As usual.

I sighed, "Whatever. I'm not gonna even look at him, so tough luck."

She shrugged, "OK, then. I'm just the messenger, don't mind me." She strode off, whistling the song "Ray of Light" by Madonna. Dammit, Gambit loves that song! So now she has his same interests, right? Oh, great! Wait, why am I bugging out over this?

"Why are you two fighting, anyway?" Scott questioned, grabbing the jar of chocolate chip cookies off the top of the fridge.

"He's a jerk sometimes," I admitted, "More often than not actually... and jerk is the understatement of the year."

Scott sat down across from me and offered me a cookie, but I waved him away. He shrugged and gave one to Jean as she sat down beside him. "It's been a week since I've seen you two last talk," Jean remarked, "Everyone's wondering what caused such an about-face."

"Well I'm wondering why no one can keep their nose out of it," I shot back.

Suddenly Gambit popped in, a list in one hand, "I have to go shopping again since Wolverine can no longer do it after last time's incident. Do we need anything?" Ah, yes. The last time Logan went shopping the building went up in flames. That was an interesting experience (no thanks to Pyro). "Oh, and Rogue... It's been requested that you come with me."

"There is no way in all seven levels of hell I'm goin' with you!" I snapped.

He smirked, "You don't have a choice."

"Who's the genius who came up with that order?"

"Professor Xavier."

"Dammit. You suck, you know that?"

"Comes naturally." Gambit looked at Jean and Scott, "So, anything you two think we need or I'm set with what I have?

Jean tapped her chin, "Do you have milk?"

"Yes."

"Eggs?"

"Yes."

"Scott's brains?"

"Yes." "HEY!"

"Then I think we're set."

Gambit stomped over to me and grabbed my wrist, "Come on, daylight's burning!" I went to complain, surprised Jean and Scott were making minimal effort to stop this, but Gambit had already dragged me out of my seat.

* * *

_Gambit's P.O.V_

I was screwed when Rogue found out I lied about Xavier forcing her to come shopping with me. "OK... milk..." I studied the rows of dairy products before me. "Orange juice... ice cream... butter... Ugh, why can't anyone ever make these things simple? How much of each, or what brand of each?" Behind me the cart rattled as Rogue dumped her gathered items into it. "Sigh..." Yes, I had sighed but I was surprised Rogue didn't comment.

Giving up, I loaded the cart with three cartons of three different kinds of milk, and then I dumped in a life-time's supply of butter and various flavored ice cream. "I hate shopping. You guys go through food almost as quickly as the Brotherhood."

"I hardly eat anything," Rogue remarked and leaned on the cart, "I never shop."

"Lucky you," I retorted and turned back to gather the eggs and yogurt. "I swear I'm this store's best costumer. I clean out the shelves once a week."

Rogue growled under her breath, and then she strode off to admire something on a display nearby. When I turned back she was checking out a sign that read, "Puppy Adoption Going On Today!" It went on to talk about the location of the event, and I overheard Rogue mutter, "I've always wanted a dog."

I frowned and thought for a moment, "Do you want to go?"

She glanced over her shoulder, "It'd be pointless. Professor Xavier wouldn't allow us to keep pets."

"Kitty has a freaking alien dragon. I don't think that rule will apply."

"Well... I just don't want to get an animal and then someone complains about it so I have to get rid of it," She sighed, "It's alright. Let's just finish shoppin'." She started off down the next aisle over to get bread.

Yes, I was thinking of doing just that.

After cashing out we had hopped in the jeep that was only meant for travels to and from the store, and I had tied a cloth around Rogue's eyes. "Where are we goin' that's such a big surprise you felt the need to blind me?"

"You'll see."

"You're not gonna throw me on a train and whisk me away to Louisiana just to save your father **again,** are you?"

"Nothing that dramatic." I pulled up to the Animal Shelter, "OK, take off your blind fold."

She untied the cloth and instantly her eyes lit up, "Oh, Remy! Didn't you hear me speech about not getting a puppy?"

"We don't have to adopt one," I winked, "but we can at least look. You're birthday is coming soon, isn't it?"

She smiled, "Yeah, but what does that have to do with anythin'?"

"Nothing, just checking." I jumped out of the jeep and she followed suit. The inside of the hospital was lined with cages that had dogs of all kinds, some mixed breed, and every cage had a paper attached that detailed about the type of dog, the gender, and the history.

Rogue browsed, for once with a smile on her face that didn't falter, and I waited at the front of the building for her to venture back towards me. I was approached by a man, stout and carefree, "May I help you? Have you come to adopt?"

"Kinda," I leaned towards him and whispered something into his ear.

"Gambit!" Rogue exclaimed from down the hall, "Come here!" I swiftly made my way over to her where she was pointing eccentrically at a cage, "Look how cute! This is the kind of dog I've always wanted!" I stared into the cage. It was a German Sheppard dog from what I could tell (the paper read that she was a female). Her coat was pitch black, not other colors present except for her golden eyes void of happiness. She seemed sad, like maybe she was sure no one would want her. "German Sheppards are really smart and they make great protectors."

"So I've heard," I agreed. I backed away from the cage to let Rogue look at the dog again, and while she was distracted I have the thumbs-up to the man who worked here. He nodded, jotted down some notes, and then walked away.

"Cherie," I remarked, "We need to get the groceries back."

She sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"Taking me here. I hardly deserve it."

"Think nothing of it," i wafted my hand and we started out of the building. Surprisingly, we exchanged a lot of conversations back and forth on the ride home.

* * *

_Rogue's P.O.V_

"My birthday's today!" I told myself with a yawn as I got out of bed. I was no longer angry at Gambit for having his little thing with Cimmerian (heck, it wasn't like I've seen them kiss yet, but if they did there was going to be hell to pay) and life was back to normal.

Erm, depending on what the definition for normal was.

No sooner had I stepped out of my room did Cimmerian pounce me, "Baby!" "It's Ro-" "Happy birthday! Glad you're dressed already 'cause there's a surprise for you downstairs! I'm so excited! Come on come on come on!"

"Before we go, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you know what 'chill' means?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

I sighed, "No reason." She took my hand and towed me downstairs into the kitchen. As we passed by the kitchen all I was able to catch was Wolverine and Gambit yelling at each other and glass plates shattering against the walls and floor. They were going at it again, which was a common occurrence, and they would soon take it outside. Raison lead me to the living room where the x-men (aside from Logan and Remy) were sitting around a table of presents.

"Happy Birthday!" They exclaimed.

I laughed, "Thanks everyone." There was a box separated from the others, and there were holes positioned on the top. To: Cherie From: Gambit were drawn into the side with a thick sharpie marker. "You guys rock!"

Raison encouraged me to sit in the empty seat at the head of the table, and then Gambit stormed in, "Sorry I'm late!" His hair was a bit messy and his cheek had a small nick on it from where Logan's claws had gotten him. Wolverine jumped him, slamming him into the floor with a swift kick. They were ignored.

"We didn't know what you wanted since you don't mention much," Kitty stated, "but we did our best." Lockheed hissed an agreement.

"I appreciate it," I responded. Gambit and Wolverine's fighting was dragged back into the hall.

"Who's baking the cake again?" Nightcrawler questioned from where he sat next to me, glancing around the table. There was an explosion from down the hall.

Jean suddenly shot up, "SCOTT!" and she raced out. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO NEAR THE STOVE! WHAT DON'T YOU GET?"

There was a second explosion, this time it sounded like something Gambit had destroyed, and my eye twitched. "Anyway," the Professor said slowly, "Clearly this mansion is having a hard time staying in one piece... Rogue, why don't you open a gift?"

"OK," I didn't have a problem with that, "I'm afraid whatever Gambit got me it isn't breathing anymore so I should open his first." Beast pushed the box over to me and whatever was inside whimpered. "Wait, it's still alive." I stood and popped open the box, my expression instantly falling away.

It was the puppy we had looked at a few days ago.


	4. Thunder Storm

_Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was working on my new X-Men story also for the pairing of Romy. **If you're interested I have a small snippet the end of this chapter** :D_

_It's going to be Rogue's P.O.V for this chapter and maybe all of the next one, but after that I'll keep switching._

_Edit: I just realized how depressing this chapter seems, but it's not supposed to be. It's actually bridging into the most epic thing I have ever written XD trust me, ZERO emoness intended. It's been raining all week here, too. I had inspiration to write this from dancing in the lightning storm (until I almost got struck, so I went back inside to type this)_

_Edit again: Oh, and don't forget to review. I'll give you a snippet of the next chapter!_

* * *

_Rogue's P.O.V_

It was raining the day Gambit and Cimmerian left. It was the same day Gambit almost died trying to protect me.

I let my hood cover my head as the rain pelted down, streaks of black in the darkness. The pounding droplets soaked into my sweat shirt, and I felt my heart race. "G-Gambit?"

My boots squished in a puddle, liquid mixed with a dark crimson color. The trail lead back to Gambit's limp body laying face-up on the street and I kneeled down beside him. My gloved hand pressed against his chest and he coughed. Blood erupted from the wounds in his chest and a thin trickle slid down his cheek from his lips. "R-Rogue..."

Fearing I had hurt him I lifted his head and whispered, "Remy?"

He smirked, "That... hurt."

"Don't speak... please..." I glanced over at the other unconscious figure near by, "Cimmerian? Cimmerian, Gambit's hurt!" She didn't make a sound, and I suddenly felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. Guilt taught my gut gymnastics and I bit back bile. "Raison...?"

Gambit gagged, and spit to the side, "She's... She's not gonna make it..."

The universe itself was crashing down around me in the form of the pelting rain. "Don't... Gambit," I bit my lip and tears swelled my eyes, "Please don't leave me, Gambit. I'm so sorry!"

He forced a shrug and winced, "Can't do nothin' 'bout it now. I forgive you."

Behind me something dropped down and landed in the forming puddles. I figured if Gambit didn't die from his wounds he would certainly die from drowning, and neither of those ideas appealed to me at the moment. The hissing started again, and I started to shake.

"Run," Gambit muttered, "Run, Cherie. Please, just run."

I shook my head stubbornly, "No, I can't leave you!"

"Don't let us die in vain, Rogue..." He pushed a bang out of my face, "Run and live."

I hesitated for a moment, my mind caught in distant memories... before this happened... before... when things were a little less... cloudy...

* * *

Several months into senior year of high school I earned my driver's license (I waited longer than Kitty, who had hers suspended by Wolverine due to reckless incidents of which I will not explain) and Gambit wasn't there to congratulate me on my success like everyone else. The storm had let up for a few months after my birthday, but that didn't last.

I was sitting in the library with Rayne and Sam, my nose wedged between the pages of a magazine (this scene seems awfully familiar) when Jean stormed in. She touched my shoulder but I didn't glance up at her, "Rogue, Gambit's leaving."

Gambit was the kind of guy to always wander off for days at a time without telling anyone where he was going. I wouldn't have been surprised if Jean hadn't known he actually WAS leaving, and I especially didn't like the tone in her voice. I frowned and flipped my magazine shut, loose order forms accidentally spewing from the crevices of the crinkled pages. Ignoring them, I glanced down at my dog, Sable, and she wagged her tail. "Leaving… where?"

"I don't know," Jean shook her head, "but I suggest you head up to the Professor's office. They want to see you before they leave."

_They?_ Who else could be leaving on such short notice?

Sable barked once and followed me intently out the door and down the hall to Professor X's office. He sat at his desk with Cimmerian—of course, who else would seriously be tagging along?—and Gambit. I hesitated, "Jean said you wanted to see me…"

Gambit jumped a little, having not noticed my presence, and he whirled around to face me, "Oh, Cherie! Glad you came… Uhm…" He scratched the back of his head, "Listen… Raison and I have to leave. Somethin' came up and we need to… take care of the issue." That was when I realized it: Gambit's hair was grown out, cutting off just past his ears. He didn't wear his mask all that much either and when it was off he tied his hair back in a pony tail. Now it was off, and his overcoat was thrown over the back of a chair. He seemed to mature so much in under a year.

The thought caused me to subconsciously run my fingers through my own hair—it was only longer by an inch, which annoyed me. I wanted to grow as fast as his—"It's OK. Just don't stay away too long, got it?"

He sighed, "That's the problem… We might not be comin' back."

My fists balled up, but my voice remained relatively level, "What's so important you have to leave?"

Gambit shook his head, "It's nothin' we can tell you… but listen Rogue, I'll try to come back if I can"—Lightning flashed out the window and thunder roared a response—"…I promise I'll get this over with quickly."

I bit my lower lip. I wasn't a girl anymore—I had to be mature. I couldn't cry. Why was I crying over him, anyway? I had done that multiple times already and caused so many problems with Kitty and Wolverine. It wouldn't do any good in the current situation so all I could do was stare at the floor. I started to wonder if I never even cared about Gambit at all—rather, I was just jealous of his relationship with Cimmerian because he could _have a relationship_, even if it wasn't with me.

Gambit threw on his coat in a flourish and made his way over to me. I didn't bother to look up, caught in the painful decision of wanting to hug him. He took my face in his hands, careful that we didn't touch, and said, "I'll be back, don't you worry."

"Let me come with you, then."

There was some sort of silence, like when a movie ends with a cliffhanger and the audience sits in epic quiet hoping that a clip would come along and tie up the loose ends. That lasted a brief second and Gambit shook his head, "I wish I could, but I can't."

"Why not?" I demanded, my momentary calmness eluding me.

"It's dangerous."

"Why don't you trust me?" Another epic silence. I started to view this as a twisted movie, where the girl falls head-over-heel for this guy who just gets up one day and decides to leave. I knew Gambit was the kind to leave, and I was dumb enough to think he would never leave _me_.

Then he pressed a kiss on my forehead.

There was a quick second of his memories filling mine, a brief memo of what was really going on in his head. Raison hugged me, I held her back, and then the door closed behind them and their footsteps faded down the hall. Sable nudged my thigh and whimpered, aware of the situation. Professor X sighed, "Are you alright, Rogue?"

"I'm fine," I lied. This scene was redundant, and the memories in my mind didn't belong to me.

It made my heart skip a beat. _Good bye, Gambit. Good bye, Gambit. _"Good night Professor, I'm going to bed early."

"Good night Rogue."

_Good bye Gambit. Good bye Gambit. Good bye Gambit._

**_I hope I never see you again._**

* * *

I didn't know why I wasn't crying. I felt sick, and downright depressed, but that memory I accidentally stole from Gambit (I'm sure he'll get it back soon) made me feel even worse. It was the memory of when he decided to join the institute. He didn't want to keep an eye on me, he wanted to get closer to me, and I just pushed him away like I did to everyone else.

It was still raining.

My hoodie served little protection against the cold, bitter night as the sky pissed rain to no end, and with an irritated glance around the soggy courtyard I stormed down to the main gate. The cameras identified me and recognized me so they didn't shoot and went back to scanning for intruders. At least my bag was water-resistant.

Sable would be fine while I was gone; I knew Kurt would take care of her in my place. Not to mention I couldn't pet her without my gloves on, and I had to train her to lick everyone else's face instead of mine.

My knee bumped into the gate and I growled, but then I cleared the wall with ease. A small shock vibrated my shins as I landed on the other side, but I bit back a sudden yelp. I limped at first, hobbling down the street, and that was when I slammed into a rigid figure and was knocked back effortlessly. "Ow!" I squinted up to see who it was before me and felt my stomach drop, "L-Logan!"

"Caught your scent and found you wandering outside," He explained before I could even ask, and I frowned. "Mind telling me where you think you're going?"

"I..." Where was I going, anyway? For all I knew Gambit and Cimmerian where long gone, and I wouldn't be able to follow by myself unless I wanted to get tangled with their family fueds again. "I just need to clear my head," I bluffed, hoping to delude him. I could tell that he didn't buy into my little white lie from the scornful expression plastered on his face. "I was going for a quick walk."

"What's in the backpack?" He asked and when he reached for it I stepped out his range, "I hope it's not a picnic basket."

"It's not..." I shuddered into the blast of arctic winds and wondered if Storm had also found me wandering around, "I... He's gone, isn't he?"

Wolverine snorted, "So that's what you're running away for?"

"Runnin' _after_."

"Same difference, kid. Look, I think you're insane and he's twice as crazy! There's no use crying over spilt milk."

I sniggered, "Well, then I guess you have no reason to stop me."

He sneered, "Look, I'm no parent of yours, and I've never tried to stop you before... but Gambit is the kind of person you shouldn't waste all your time searching for." He brought his hand up to my shoulder and this time I didn't react. "He doesn't know how to trust anyone."

"But why doesn't he trust me?" I uttered, hoping he wouldn't hear me over the thunder roaring overhead.

Wolverine sighed, "Kid, if we talk about this out here I'm going to get struck by lightning! My skeleton system is just one large conductor pole!" He tried to turn me around but I stubbornly resisted him. "...Why are you always chasing after him like some stupid dream?"

"Because he's _my_ stupid dream, Logan!" I didn't even realize what I had said and felt the blood rush to my cheeks. "I... uh... I-I don't know why I said that."

Logan pat the top of my soaked head, "Take care of yourself kid. Just make sure you come back in one piece." I leapt over the wall and abandoned me to the pounding of the rain.

To the heart of the storm.

All by myself.

...This sucked. _What the hell am I even doing?_

* * *

**END OF THE CHAPTER**_. Next time it's an epic battle of epicness!_

_Anyway, if you're interested in reading my new Romy story here's a snippet:  
Info: Rogue is kidnapped by some mutants in place of a new student at the Institute, and Gambit's about to risk it all-even his life-to get her back. Still in progress, but I should have the first chapter up by the time I finish this story._

"You..." Scott tilted his head, "Shot... Wolverine?"

"It was an accident!" I insisted and sobbed into my hands, but I would never really cry in front of anyone, "Beast dodged the bullet and I hit him!" I brightened suddenly, "On a good note, he was far enough out of my range to only leave a small scar! Or maybe not..."

That was when Storm literally stormed by, wielding a DVD tape in her hand. "Meeting you two. NOW." I highly doubted Wolverine would be there, considering his current condition.

"What's going on?" Scott asked quickly, "Did you find Rogue?"

"I'm afraid we're not so lucky," she replied just as swiftly, "but Gambit got his hands on this tape and now he's blowing things up in the simulation training room... I tripped over a piece of Apacolypse before. I watched some of this already," She handed the disc off to Cyclops, "but I'm afraid it's not good."

"Why?" I pressed as we started after her. That was a stupid question on my part. I knew that those mutants where after me, and I was aware that they were crazy. How could the tape be GOOD and not BAD?

"It's a ransom," Storm explained carefully, "From what I know, anyway. A trade: 'Give us our target or Rogue will die'."

I felt my heart drop into the acids of my stomach. Great, so now Rogue was going to die and it was all my fault? First she saved me from being kidnapped, which made me feel guilty enough, and now the kidnappers turn out to be psychomaniacs?

Gambit was reaching his breaking point, and all hell was about to break loose.

I just wish I wasn't the fault of the problem.


End file.
